Jerry Jones

Category: Life

  • It’s OK to Move On

    It’s OK to Move On

    As a joke (with some seriousness), I bought a glass-like impossible puzzle. It’s made of clear acrylic, has eight corners for extra trickiness, and it’s impossible to see which side is “up.” My wife is much better at puzzles than I am, and I thought this might be finally be her match.

    After an hour or two of combined work, we had 15 pieces together. It’s hard to even look at it for too long – your eyes don’t know how to focus on the edges and the pieces become a double-vision ghost of themselves.

    My best success came from sorting pieces by the way the angles of the edges slanted. It wasn’t very fun to methodically go through each piece, and only mildly satisfying when two pieces snapped into place.

    My wife gave in. Even with zero consequences for abandoning, I had a strong urge to push through to the end. It’s a problem to be solved. This drive to solve whatever problem is in front of me makes me a good programmer, but at times like this, the benefit is questionable.

    What problems need solving, and which are we working on simply because they’re here in front of us? Which should we allow ourselves, guilt-free, to abandon?

    Doing something like a puzzle, that @ghosthoney on TikTok described as, “too much work for a wrinkly version of an image I don’t really care about1,” isn’t inherently worthwhile. If you enjoy it or get satisfaction from it, go for it! But if it feels like a chore, then it’s OK to skip it. Leave the feeling of being a chore for things that are actually chores.

    Starting doesn’t mean I need to finish. My friend Jonathan Vieker talks about how it’s better to stop reading a book once you understand the point, rather than slogging through to the end: “we’re best off using that time to read something that will benefit us.” With this in mind, I’m giving in and giving myself permission to simply be,2 and see what I become when I don’t attach my self-worth to my accomplishments.

    That said, I won’t be surprised if someday I find myself, pausing with appreciation, as I place the final piece into a wrinkly, transparent rectangle.

    1. I’m very proud of myself for working that line into this post.
    2. Trying to, at least.

  • Flickering Lights and Simple Fixes

    For months, our bedroom light would not turn on. Well, at times it would, randomly illuminating the room whenever it seemed fit. And at others, turn off without warning. As far as we could tell, there were no signs of ghosts.

    We were having our attic turned into livable space and the contractors had recently put in subflooring. We figured they nicked a wire and that was causing the flickering.

    I read up on how to find where the wire might be compromised, thinking through how to identify potential causes and learning electrical diagrams. All I can recall now is something about tracing the neutral using some metering device I don’t have.

    A couple months later, we had an electrician come out for something else and asked him about it. He suggested we try changing the lightbulb. Really? That’s it?

    He explained that CFL lightbulbs, the ones that look like the spiral staircase of some futuristic space habitation, have a wire inside them. The jolting of the nail gun on the subfloor installation right above it probably caused that wire connection to come loose. The expansion and contraction of heat from the bulb would cause the wire to connect then detach in a slow cycle. On and off.

    He was right. We switched out the light bulb and it has been working as a light should ever since.

    Next time, whether it’s a light or a web development project, I’ll try the simple fix first.

  • Getting Hired at Automattic

    Getting Hired at Automattic

    I started at Automattic on November 20, 2019, and it’s an incredible place to work. I’m constantly impressed by my coworkers kindness, intelligence, and compassion. If you’re looking for a rewarding remote job that you can work from anywhere in the world, definitely apply.

    I’m still overjoyed and amazed I was hired. While going through the hiring process, I devoured the blog posts from people describing their journeys. Here’s my contribution to the catalog. I hope it helps someone.

    The Creed

    Before applying, I would recommend reading through the Automattic creed to see if it aligns with you. I think most companies have a creed to pay lip service to.

    That’s not Automattic. The creed really is embodied in an amazing way. It sounds cliché, but it’s true.

    Recruitment

    End of September, 2019

    I was contacted by a third-party recruiter about applying. I believe this may have been an experimental program, and is not the normal process.

    It was the first time that I was contacted by a recruiter who:

    • was kind and supportive
    • really wanted the job to be a good fit for me
    • had a good job offer

    I had actually applied to Automattic a few years ago for a Product Designer role, but did not get past the application step. They were still incredibly kind and encouraging in their rejection. I was shocked and excited to be contacted by a recruiter asking me to apply this time around.

    I sent my resume in, and they passed it along to the hiring team. Within two days, I heard back that they wanted me to fill out their application questionnaire.

    Questionnaire

    End of September, 2019

    I received a questionnaire that helped them and me evaluate if working at Automattic would be a good fit. Automattic has a very unique and wonderful way of working. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s something to be discussed and aware of very early on.

    I don’t remember this part taking too long or being too intense.

    Slack Interview

    Update June 2021: Automattic is removing the interview from the engineering hiring process. Candidates are moved directly to the Code Test.

    Early October, 2019

    Within a week, I heard back that I was being advanced to the Slack Interview. The interview is entirely text based.

    A Text-Based Aside

    The entire hiring process is text based. Seriously.

    Never once did I hear someone’s voice or do a video call. Until my first paycheck arrived, a part of me still believed it was all too good to be true, and it was just an elaborate prank. 😂

    They invited me to a slack channel, and I was free to ask questions and talk with the hiring team. They told me how they do what they call “async communication.” You can ask a question, and you may not get an answer for awhile, as the person may be in a totally different part of the world. For example, the hiring team for my trial process was distributed in Europe, Eastern Europe, Oceania, and the US.

    Slack Interview – Continued

    I really enjoyed the slack interview. It was by far the most enjoyable interview I had ever done. The person I chatted with helped me feel comfortable and confident. They knew what they were talking about and used plenty of emoji responses to keep things light.

    The interview felt more like hanging out and talking with someone you met at a conference about what you do, what processes you use and why, etc. It was friendly and, dare I say, fun.

    By the end of our 1.5 hour chat, they told me I was moving on to the next stage. No waiting required.

    Note: I don’t think a fast answer like this is always the case. Just because you’re not told an answer at the end of the interview doesn’t mean you’re not moving on.

    The Code Test

    Early October, 2019

    It’s getting real now. You can talk the talk, but can you… uh… walk the… code? Well, you know what I mean.

    Within a couple days, they sent me the Code Test. It was a github repo with details on the project and what needed fixing. They said to not spend more than 4-6 hours on the test, but, I did spend a little more than that. 😬

    The impression I got behind the intention of the 4-6 hour limit isn’t to see how fast you can code or to make you crack under pressure. It’s out of respect for your time. They really don’t want to waste your time or their own.

    It was hard. I doubted myself. I put too much pressure on myself. I freaked out. I took a break. I figured part of it out. Repeat.

    Within a day or two of submitting my code test, I got a detailed, kind response about things I did well and things I could improve. The intention behind the message was clearly to help me learn. Fortunately, I was being moved on to the Trial phase.

    The Trial: Hot Take

    Mid October, 2019

    The trial phase is a fixed-rate, paid trial at $25/hour and is intended to last around 40 hours. This is a big commitment, and a controversial one if you read around a bit on forums from people debating the hiring process at Automattic. I think it has changed over the years, so here’s my take after having gone through it:

    • The $25 rate is clearly low for a US-based web developer. It’s not supposed to be a living wage and has no impact on your future salary. It is nice that they believe you are a good enough candidate that they are willing to pay you to continue interviewing with them.
    • It’s not an attempt to get reduced-rate work. You get one of a few standardized trial projects that are not intended to be used in production.
    • It’s supposed to mimic the way Automattic works to see if you’ll enjoy working there.

    You’re allowed to do the trial project spread out over as many weeks/months as you’d like. Just communicate what your schedule is going to be. I decided to do it within two weeks so I could get it out of the way and find out sooner.

    The Trial: How it Happened

    Note: I had originally started as more of a back-end developer during the hiring process, but decided to move to a front-end developer role. I was worried they would make me start the process over. Fortunately, they just said “No problem!” and switched me to a front-end trial.

    When you get to the trial phase, they add you to a few slack channels with everyone else on Trial. You are now officially a Trialmattician. This channel is kind of like a #watercooler channel for others on trial. It was incredibly useful and comforting to chat with others going through the same, difficult thing as you.

    The hiring team makes it clear that you are not competing with anyone else on trial. They have a high hiring capacity, so it’s not about accessing a limited amount of positions, but finding the right people who will thrive at Automattic.

    My trial project was another WordPress plugin, but this time it was React-based. I had never worked with React and told them this ahead of time. They weren’t worried about my lack of React knowledge.

    My impression of the trial wasn’t to evaluate how good of a React developer I was (hint: I wasn’t), but to evaluate (among other things):

    • Communication
    • Documentation and showing work
    • Detailing my thought process
    • General coding style and knowledge
    • Ability to work in an async, distributed way
    • How you adapt to a new, unique codebase

    Since I committed to doing the trial fairly quickly, I went faster than they could really provide feedback (this was also due to my trial lead traveling during the first part of my trial). I believe the process is supposed to be more like the day-to-day of working at Automattic where you have code reviews from teammates coming in within a day of submitting a PR (pull request).

    The trial pushed me in a similar way as the Code Test. I doubted myself. I tried to move quickly but just wound up missing silly mistakes. Taking a breath and moving carefully and considerately was by far the best thing I did.

    Overall, it was extremely tough for me. I’m very glad to be done with it. 😅

    When my trial lead felt like they had seen enough to make a decision, they recommended me to be hired. 🎉

    The Matt Chat

    Early November, 2019

    This is still called the Matt Chat even though I talked with someone from HR. The chat involved talking about my trial process, how I felt about it, the good, the bad, etc. I was impressed with how much they wanted to hear my feedback so that they could improve the hiring process. Overall, I remember really enjoying the chat.

    At Automattic, they really care. A lot. They want this to be the best it can be for the candidates putting the time in. Even though it’s not always perfect, it’s filled with good intention and compassion.

    We talked a little about a potential start date and expected salary, and that evening I received and accepted my offer.

    My Advice

    • Every step along the way, I thought I would get rejected, but I didn’t. Hang in there! The hiring team does not pass people through out of kindness (even though they are very kind). They move people on through the hiring process because they believe they will succeed.
    • Imposter syndrome is real, but you’re there because you deserve it. Believe in yourself like they believe in you.
    • Have a support system. Be prepared to get together with a close friend (or two or three) and just talk about what you’re going through. I’m so thankful for my friends’ encouragement and being willing to listen as I got everything out of my head.

    If you’re considering applying, do it! The process is very difficult, but the reward is so, so worth it. If you’ve already applied, know I’m rooting for you!

    Leave a comment if you have any questions, and if it’s something I can/am allowed to answer, I’m more than happy to help. 🙂

  • Why I’m Using a Site I Didn’t Code

    I make websites for a living. I’ve made hundreds of custom sites. But not this one.

    I think I’m on iteration 4 of my portfolio site. Every 3 years or so I’ll take the time to switch it up. I did that again last week, but instead of redesigning and recoding my site by hand over the course of a week or two, I took two hours and migrated to WordPress.com, picked a theme, and added some minor CSS tweaks.

    Deciding to switch my domain name and choosing a new one was by far the longest part of the process.

    I Want to Write without Distraction

    Before, my writing flow went something like:

    • Have a post idea
    • Log into my site to write it
    • Forget my password
    • Finally get logged in
    • See things that need updating
    • Update the things
    • See things that need fixed
    • Start to fix the things
    • Realize I don’t have the codebase and workflow for the site set-up on my new computer
    • Abandon, resolving to really fix it next time

    Now that I’ve switched to a basic WordPress.com managed site (not an ad for WordPress.com, although I am biased), my writing flow goes:

    • Open my site (on my phone or my computer)
    • Write the post

    I Don’t Have to Update my Portfolio

    I really only update my portfolio whenever I redesign my site, so it’s inevitably out-of-date very quickly. Now, I don’t have to be ashamed of never updating my portfolio, because I don’t have one. 😎

    This also coincides with me getting a full-time job, and leaving a more agency-style freelance contractor role. I don’t really need a portfolio at this point.

    If I do want to keep updating my portfolio though, I can add a post and add it to the “Portfolio” category. Then, if I ever want to make a more specific Portfolio page, I can do that fairly easily in the future.

    It’s One Less Thing to Worry About

    Life is busy, even now in the time of stay-at-home orders and the coronavirus. Every thing I can take of my plate frees up time for myself and my family.

    Now that I can quickly write from anywhere, easily and without distraction, I find myself wanting to write more. Time will tell if this honeymoon phase lasts, but, for now, I couldn’t be happier I made the switch.